


The ingredients (that bind us together)

by stereden



Series: Stereden's One Piece AU's [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Buggy and Ace friendship, Competent!Buggy, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25613587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stereden/pseuds/stereden
Summary: “A D with survival instincts,” Buggy teases. “Will wonders never cease?”“I’m not that bad!” Ace whines.“Uh hu,” Buggy says, doubtful. “And if I were to ask Deuce what kind of dumb shit you got into lately?”Buggy likes Ace’s first mate, for all that he’s only met him a couple of times. The man certainly has a good head on his shoulders, and might end up being to Ace what Benn is to Shanks, if he sticks around long enough.That doesn’t mean that Buggy didn’t give him a box of aspirin and a quickly scribbled guide of how to take care of your dumbass D, though.
Relationships: Buggy & Portgas D. Ace, Buggy (One Piece) & Zeff, Portgas D. Ace/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: Stereden's One Piece AU's [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708903
Comments: 37
Kudos: 564
Collections: Set Sail One Piece Mid Year Exchange 2020





	The ingredients (that bind us together)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kiite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/gifts).



> My participation in the #setsailexchange! This is for kiite/skypiea, I hope you'll like it :) I even tried to make it fluffy and happy rather than my usual angst hahaha xD I hope I succeeded!
> 
> (For my usual readers - I SWEAR you shouldn't need tissues for this one!)

Buggy groans as he looks at his watch, hurrying down the gangplank. He’s  _ late, _ and he hates being late. Unless he wants to make a flashy entrance, of course, but that’s not what he’s doing today. Today, he’s trying to fly under the radar, because he just wants to eat a good meal with his pseudo-little brother/nephew without the marines barging in and ruining the day. He’s even forgone his usual make-up for once, that’s how far he’s willing to go for just one peaceful lunch!

And now he’s  _ late, _ because Monkey D. Fucking Garp had suddenly decided to come back to East Blue for a holiday or something, and they had had to make a detour to ensure they wouldn’t be anywhere near the asshole. Urgh. Hopefully the kid hasn’t been waiting too long, but Buggy wouldn’t count on it - he’s over an hour late already. Thankfully, he had been able to call Old Man Zeff and ask him to tell the brat he would be late, because Buggy would have hated for the kid to believe he had been stood up.

With a sigh, he steps inside the restaurant, taking a moment to fold his umbrella and drop it into the stand meant for that effect - because of  _ course _ it was raining, this day couldn’t possibly give him a break - then smiled when he heard the unmistakable sound of Zeff’s peg leg tapping the ground.

“Hey old man, how are you doing?” He greets, turning around to face the cook. “Permission to come aboard?”

Zeff might be  _ retired, _ but that doesn’t mean Buggy is going to be impolite. He knows better. A retired pirate is still a pirate, after all.

“As well as can be,” Red-Leg Zeff grunts, offering a hand to shake. “And granted, provided you pay your bill this time!”

“That was  _ one time!” _ Buggy complains, falling into steps with the old man. “And there were extenuating circumstance, also known as a fucking  _ admiral _ coming for dinner! No way in _hell_ I was going to eat next to freaking _Akainu._ And I paid you the very next day!”

That gets a chuckle out of the man.

“Your face was  _ hilarious,” _ he tells Buggy with a smirk.

“And your face is so ugly it’s a wonder you don’t scare away half the patrons,” Buggy mutters, annoyed. “I take it my guest has been waiting for a while?”

“Mm,” Zeff hums. “He got here about an hour and a half ago, was a bit early for your reservation but your table was already free, so I seated him and told him to help himself to the appetizers since you were going to be late.”

Buggy groans. Well, there goes his wallet… then again, he should have expected this, really, since he’d agreed to buy a  _ D _ lunch. Oh well. He’ll just have to find some nice treasure next time they go out.

“He’s also got Eggplant in a tizzy,” Zeff adds, wry amusement in his voice. “Pretty sure the brat has just realised he’s not as straight as he thought he was.”

“You mean he  _ hadn’t _ noticed that he spent just as much time ogling men as he did women?” Buggy snickers. “It’s not like the kid has ever been  _ subtle _ about that.”

It’s  _ hilarious, _ Buggy thinks. He’s been coming to the Baratie ever since Zeff opened the restaurant, and he’s seen the kid, Sanji, grow up from snot-nosed brat to brillant chef, and he’s never doubted that the kid was  _ at least _ bisexual. It had been pretty damn obvious, honestly. Though it  _ would _ be just like Sanji not to notice.

“Well, if he hadn’t before he’s certainly noticed now,” Zeff chuckles. “Then again, your guest  _ is  _ walking around shirtless, which probably doesn’t help. Where did you find that one? One of your rookies? You’ve never brought one of them here before, though some of them  _ did _ come by and said you had recommended the place…”

Buggy hesitates, then gives their surroundings a quick check with his Haki, just in case. 

“No,” he says quietly. “It’s… complicated, but... he’s family.”

* * *

And Ace  _ is. _ Buggy may only have met him a couple of months ago, having literally fished the kid out of the sea after a bad storm, but he had  _ immediately _ seen the ressemblance with Portgas D. Rouge. And then the kid had  _ smiled _ when he had thanked him for saving his life, and Buggy had suddenly felt a very urgent need to get very,  _ very _ drunk.

Because that? That had been  _ Captain’s smile _ on  _ Blackjack D Rouge’s face, _ and Buggy had  _ not _ been ready for that.

The kid had nearly taken his head off when Buggy had spluttered about Roger -  _ had, _ actually, taken his head off, thanks Davy Jones for Buggy’s devil fruit, which had shocked him long enough for Buggy to get a word in.

Ace had calmed down somewhat afterwards, at least enough for Buggy to assure him that he wouldn’t be telling  _ anyone _ about him, not with the shit he himself had gone through for being Roger’s legacy. He hadn’t even told  _ Shanks _ yet, and he wouldn’t until Ace gave him permission to, that’s how seriously he took that promise.

But the kid had agreed to stay in touch, to call and meet up regularly as long as he was still in East Blue, and Buggy was grateful for it. In a better world, Ace would have grown up between the Oro Jackson and the Black Maria, with Shanks and Buggy as his brothers in all but blood, and Buggy is glad for any kind of relationship he can have with the boy now.

And if it gives him a chance to share his knowledge and make sure that Ace doesn’t get himself killed rushing into the Grand Line unprepared, well. That’s certainly a plus, and has the added benefit of hopefully guaranteeing that Blackjack D. Rouge wouldn’t kick his ass once he boarded the Flying Dutchman.

So. Yes, it’s complicated, but Ace is  _ family _ nonetheless. Buggy’s not quite sure what the kid thinks of him, but he hasn’t told him to fuck off yet and that’s enough for him.

* * *

Zeff makes an understanding noise. He’s an old-timer, for all that he never made it far into the New World, and his crew had crossed ways with the Oro Jackson a time or five. He might make the link between Ace and Roger, or at least between Ace and _someone_ on the Oro Jackson, but even if he does, Buggy knows he won’t say anything. The man had helped him out of a pretty bad situation a couple of years ago, and Buggy had helped him open his restaurant - they are  _ friends, _ and Buggy doesn’t have many of those. And Zeff was never one to blame a child for the parent’s sins.

“Then he’s welcome here whenever he wants,” the cook says simply, then adds. “As long as he doesn’t break Eggplant’s heart, that is.”

Buggy snorts, finally spotting Ace sitting at a table in a corner, his back to the wall and the table already piled high with empty plates.

“No promises there!” He throws back, then makes his way to their table.

* * *

“Hey there, kid,” he greets the younger man, dropping into the empty chair. “Enjoying the food?”

“Buggy!” Ace gives him a bright smile, mouth half-full. He chews a couple of times, swallows, then says “The food here is  _ delicious! _ Better than Makino’s, not that I’ll  _ ever _ say that to her face!”

Buggy laughs. “Yeah, that might be a wise decision, especially if your walking stomach of a brother is around to defend her honour.”

Ace groans theatrically. “Luffy would  _ never _ let me hear the end of it,” he agrees, then quiets down a bit. “You okay? The old man said you would be late because of the shitty geezer…”

Buggy has  _ opinions _ on the matter of Monkey D. Garp and what he did while ‘raising’ Ace, and none of them are fit for polite company. Hearing Ace call him ‘shitty geezer’ will never not be intensely satisfying, though.

“Had to take a detour to make sure our ships didn’t cross,” he explains tiredly. “I’m not in the mood for any of his bullshit, especially since he’s probably headed towards Dawn and about to find out that you’ve left and became a pirate. I’ll definitely make sure I’m on the other side of East Blue when he figures that out.”

Ace winces. “Hence why I’m being  _ very _ careful not to get myself a bounty until I’m about to cross into the Grand Line or, better yet,  _ already _ in the Grand Line. Putting an ocean between me and the geezer seems like a  _ fantastic _ idea.”

“A D with survival instincts,” Buggy teases. “Will wonders never cease?”

“I’m not that bad!” Ace whines.

“Uh hu,” Buggy says, doubtful. “And if I were to ask Deuce what kind of dumb shit you got into lately?”

Buggy  _ likes _ Ace’s first mate, for all that he’s only met him a couple of times. The man certainly has a good head on his shoulders, and might end up being to Ace what Benn is to Shanks, if he sticks around long enough.

That doesn’t mean that Buggy didn’t give him a box of aspirin and a quickly scribbled guide of how to take care of your dumbass D, though.

“You and Deuce should  _ not _ be allowed to talk about me! Or at all!” Ace complains, though the smile on his face proves he doesn’t actually mean it. “You’re both motherhens, seriously.”

“We care about you and would rather keep you alive and whole if at all possible, deal with it,” Buggy throws back, and bites back a smirk when Ace blushes violently at that.

It’s not actually funny, that Ace is so unused to having people who genuinely care about him other than that brother of his, but if Buggy allows himself to think about it for too long, he will end up doing something stupid like tracking Monkey D. Fucking Garp down and trying to strangle him, so he tries not to.

He and Deuce started a campaign to make sure Ace  _ knows _ that they care about him, though, because there was no way that situation was allowed to continue.

“You’re the  _ worst, _ ” Ace tells him. “Deuce even got the newbies to nag me now!”

“Newbies?” Buggy asks, and Ace spends the next ten minutes telling him all about the shipwright, musician and sharpshooter that he picked up three islands ago.

They all go by numbers, now, instead of their names, Ace complains, because Deuce is an asshole with a wicked sense of humour who decided that since both of them had card names, they should make the rest of their crew adopt the same theme.

The shipwright, Six, is apparently tiny and terrifying and came with her own ship, the Piece of Spadille. The musician and sharpshooter, Nine and Ten, respectively, are siblings, and Nine has a musical devil fruit. Buggy is very,  _ very _ jealous, and makes Ace promise to try and meet up with the Big Top at some point to throw a joint party and show.

That brings Ace’s crew to a grand total of seven people, since Ace had found himself a cook - who now goes by King and has apparently made fast friend with one of Zeff’s cooks and is currently hiding in the kitchens - and a half-giant warrior who took on the moniker of Dame about a month and a half ago. Not the biggest crew Buggy has ever met, sure, but not the smallest either.

(Mihawk very much does  _ not _ count as a crew of one, the man honestly shouldn’t even call himself a  _ pirate _ in the first place.)

They sound like good people, all of them, and Buggy looks forward to meeting them. They’re eating on their ship, though, in order not to draw too much attention. Which is the very reason why Buggy left the Big Top on the closest island and made his way here with one of the smaller skiffs instead.

* * *

Sanji shows up just as Ace finishes ranting about how they could at  _ least _ have the decency to chose their cards in logical order, and Buggy gets the chance to observe first-hand what Zeff had mentioned earlier.

He had been right. It’s  _ hilarious. _ The blond gathers the appetizer plates with a polite smile and some small talk, and his eyes keep darting towards Ace even when he greets Buggy with his customary “Back again, shitty blue-hair?”.

“Careful brat, I’m pretty sure I still have some of your pre-puberty pictures lying around,” Buggy throws back. “Wouldn’t want Patty or Carne to get their hands on them, would we?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” the sous-chef glares.

“Wanna bet?” Buggy smirks. “I’ll have the Chef’s suggestion, please. Ace, what about you?”

Sanji doesn’t even  _ pretend _ to be annoyed as Ace lists the  _ many _ dishes he wants as his main course, and that cements Zeff’s comments.

And given the way Ace turns his head slightly to follow the blond as he makes his way back to the kitchen with their order, the attraction doesn’t seem to be onesided either.

“See something you like?” Buggy asks, an eyebrow raised to hover slightly in front of his forehead.

Ace goes  _ bright red _ as he splutters in denial.

This boy, Buggy thinks fondly,  _ definitely _ takes after his father in this. Rouge was  _ never  _ that undignified.

(He  _ still _ doesn’t know what she ever saw in his Captain, and one day he  _ will _ find out how the hell they got together, even if he has to wait until it’s his turn to be collected by Davy Jones so he can interrogate Roger himself.)

“You’re not fooling me, kid,” he teases. “But hey, at least you’ve got good taste. You could do a lot worse than Sanji. Just don’t break his heart or Zeff will never forgive me.”

Ace ignores his comment, taking a deep breath until his blush recedes a bit.

“You’ve known Zeff for a long time?” He asks instead, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“Around twenty-five years or thereabouts?” Buggy lets him. “Our crews met up a couple of times for parties - Zeff’s always been one hell of a cook, and he’s only gotten better with time, let me tell you. He helped me out a couple of times when I set out on my own, and we met up again a decade or so ago, after he lost his crew and ship to a very bad storm and decided to retire and open a restaurant instead. I gave him some treasure to help him get started, actually, and I try to stop by every couple of months or so. Zeff’s one of the most decent ones out there - if you ever need anything and you ask politely, odds are he will give you a hand if he can.”

Ace nods thoughtfully, then goes quiet when Sanji comes back with Buggy’s plate and the first three of Ace’s.

His poor wallet, Buggy thinks mournfully.

Oh well. At least the show is worth it, he chuckles internally, watching as Ace and Sanji keep sneaking glances at each other when the other isn’t looking.

He waits until Sanji has left again before tilting his head at Ace.

“I’ve known that brat since he was still in the single digits, you know. I’m pretty sure I can get you his number if you want.”

“Buggy!”

Buggy laughs at Ace’s outraged shout and bright red face, and ignores the startled looks from the other patrons.

* * *

He might not have gotten to watch Ace grow up, but, he thinks later that afternoon, when he pays the (heavily discounted, because Zeff is a  _ sap _ for all that he likes to pretend otherwise) bill and watches Ace and Sanji exchange Denden numbers with badly hidden blushes, he wouldn’t give up these moments for anything. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? Did I manage to write something fluffy/happy for once?


End file.
